Post job

Wastewater design engineer education requirements

Updated January 8, 2025
4 min read

There are several educational requirements to become a wastewater design engineer. Wastewater design engineers usually study civil engineering, agriculture, or engineering. 92% of wastewater design engineers hold a bachelor's degree, and 8% hold an doctoral degree. We analyzed 11 real wastewater design engineer resumes to see exactly what wastewater design engineer education sections show.

The most common colleges for wastewater design engineers are the Kansas State University and the Kansas State University.

There are also many online wastewater design engineer courses to help get the education required to be a wastewater design engineer.

What education do you need to become a wastewater design engineer?

What degree do you need to be a wastewater design engineer?

  • Bachelor's, 92%
  • Doctorate, 8%

What should I major in to become a wastewater design engineer?

You should major in civil engineering to become a wastewater design engineer. 55% of wastewater design engineers major in civil engineering. Other common majors for a wastewater design engineer include agriculture and engineering.

Most common colleges for wastewater design engineers

Wastewater design engineers often get their degrees at Kansas State University, University of Florida, and University of Maryland - College Park. Here are the most common colleges for wastewater design engineers in the US based on their resumes.
Wastewater design engineer common collegePercentages
Kansas State University11.11%
University of Florida11.11%
University of Maryland - College Park11.11%
Texas A&M University11.11%
Oklahoma State University11.11%

Best majors for wastewater design engineers

Best colleges for wastewater design engineers

The best colleges for wastewater design engineers are Northwestern University, Stanford University, and Johns Hopkins University.

A wastewater design engineer with advanced education typically earns a higher salary and has access to better jobs. That's why Zippia looked into the best colleges for wastewater design engineers. We based this list on several metrics: admissions rate, retention rate, mean earnings of graduates, the ratio of working vs. non-working students ten years after admission, the average cost of attendance, and median debt for graduates who become wastewater design engineers.

1. University of Southern California

Los Angeles, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$56,225

Enrollment

19,548

2. University of Michigan - Ann Arbor

Ann Arbor, MI • Private

In-state tuition

$15,262

Enrollment

30,079

3. University of California, Berkeley

Berkeley, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$14,184

Enrollment

30,845

4. Stanford University

Stanford, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$51,354

Enrollment

7,083

5. Northwestern University

Evanston, IL • Private

In-state tuition

$54,568

Enrollment

8,451

6. Johns Hopkins University

Baltimore, MD • Private

In-state tuition

$53,740

Enrollment

5,567

7. University of Minnesota - Twin Cities

Minneapolis, MN • Private

In-state tuition

$14,760

Enrollment

31,451

8. Carnegie Mellon University

Pittsburgh, PA • Private

In-state tuition

$55,465

Enrollment

6,483

9. University of Texas at Austin

Austin, TX • Private

In-state tuition

$10,610

Enrollment

40,329

10. Cornell University

Ithaca, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$55,188

Enrollment

15,105

20 best online courses for wastewater design engineers

Advertising disclosure

1. Engineering and Product Design Processes

coursera

Welcome to “Engineering and Product Design Processes!” In this short course, you will learn how engineering design processes and product design processes are carried out. After the course, you will be familiar with the steps in both design processes. You will also be familiar with the main goal of each design process, as well as their similarities and differences...

2. Construction Site Electrical System Design

udemy
4.6
(454)

Learn how to design a safe, flexible and durable electrical system for any construction site...

3. Design of Water Treatment Systems for Beginners

udemy
4.7
(269)

Learn how to fully design a water treatment system for small to medium scale projects...

4. Unit Operations in Chemical Engineering

udemy
4.4
(711)

Learn the most important Unit Operations in Chemical Plants...

5. Water Treatment Process Design

udemy
4.4
(396)

design water treatment& RO/NF plants, sand& multimedia filter, iron& manganese removal filter, Ion exchange DI& softener...

6. Diploma in Basics of Civil Engineering for Construction

udemy
4.3
(294)

Practical Course to Gain Quick Knowledge in Civil Engineering & Get Entry Level Jobs in Construction as Freshers...

7. Process/Chemical Engineering - BOOTCAMP 2021

udemy
4.2
(448)

The only course with over 10 hours practical knowledge about main process equipment Design, Control and Safety...

8. Software Engineering 101: Plan and Execute Better Software.

udemy
4.6
(9,607)

Software Engineering 101: Use Software Engineering to Plan and Build Amazing Software + Learn SCRUM Framework!...

9. Piping Design Engineering & Piping Isometrics Masterclass

udemy
4.6
(712)

Everything you need to know to draft , design & fabricate your piping system & piping isometrics like a pro...

10. Unreal Engine: Intro to Game Design

udemy
4.5
(840)

Like Fortnite? Master the tools used to build it as we build a simple shooting gallery game using the Unreal Engine!...

11. Construction Methodology Basics in Civil Engineering

udemy
4.5
(1,001)

New Home Construction & Building construction along with Home Repair ,Estimation & Plumbing With Video Step By Step...

12. Software Architecture & System Design Practical Case Studies

udemy
4.7
(250)

Design Real-life Large Scale Systems, Practice Modern Software Architecture & Prepare for a System Design Interview...

13. Basics of Sheet metal design for Mechanical design engineers

udemy
4.3
(793)

Learn Sheet metal design, processes and practical design considerations along with Design projects...

14. Basics of Material selection for mechanical design engineers

udemy
4.4
(542)

Learn about the fundamentals of materials and their selection for mechanical engineering design for design engineers...

15. Heat Exchangers: Design , Operation & Maintenance

udemy
4.5
(286)

A complete understanding of construction details , functionning and design of heat exchangers for successful operation...

16. Pragmatic System Design

udemy
4.5
(3,283)

Master System Design Interviews: Learn Practical Approaches and Boost Your Career...

17. Introduction to Automotive Product Design & development

udemy
4.4
(648)

Learn about the process, milestones and activities from idea to complete design of cars for Automotive engineers...

18. Pro Engineer Creo Fundamental 3D design course

udemy
4.3
(1,044)

Learn fundamentals of creo parametric from scratch including part design,drawing,assembly...

19. Construction Procurement Management

udemy
4.5
(300)

A course on procurement designed for engineers new to the infrastructure/construction industry...

20. PG Diploma in Piping Design Engineering

udemy
4.2
(839)

Learn Piping Design Engineering...

Top 10 most affordable universities for wastewater design engineers

The most affordable schools for wastewater design engineers are University of Florida, city college of new york of the city university of new york, the, and california state university - long beach.

If the best universities for wastewater design engineers are out of your price range, check out these affordable schools. After factoring in in-state tuition and fees, the average cost of attendance, admissions rate, average net price, and mean earnings after six years, we found that these are the most affordable schools for wastewater design engineers.

1. University of Florida

Gainesville, FL • Private

In-state tuition

$6,381

Cost of attendance

21,034

2. City College of New York of the City University of New York, The

New York, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$7,140

Cost of attendance

14,430

3. California State University - Long Beach

Long Beach, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$6,798

Cost of attendance

18,306

4. SUNY Farmingdale

Farmingdale, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$8,306

Cost of attendance

16,091

5. University of South Florida

Tampa, FL • Private

In-state tuition

$6,410

Cost of attendance

20,456

6. California State University - Fullerton

Fullerton, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$6,886

Cost of attendance

17,645

7. California State University - Los Angeles

Los Angeles, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$6,749

Cost of attendance

14,823

8. Florida International University

Miami, FL • Private

In-state tuition

$6,556

Cost of attendance

19,434

9. New Mexico Institute of Mining and Technology

Socorro, NM • Private

In-state tuition

$7,770

Cost of attendance

21,244

10. California State University - Bakersfield

Bakersfield, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$7,309

Cost of attendance

16,714

Top 10 hardest universities to get into for wastewater design engineers

The hardest universities for wastewater design engineers to get into are Northwestern University, Stanford University, and Johns Hopkins University.

Some great schools for wastewater design engineers are hard to get into, but they also set your career up for greater success. The list below shows the most challenging universities to get into for wastewater design engineers based on an institution's admissions rates, average SAT scores accepted, median ACT scores accepted, and mean earnings of students six years after admission.

1. Northwestern University

Evanston, IL • Private

Admissions rate

8%

SAT average

1,508

2. Stanford University

Stanford, CA • Private

Admissions rate

4%

SAT average

1,497

3. Johns Hopkins University

Baltimore, MD • Private

Admissions rate

11%

SAT average

1,513

4. Carnegie Mellon University

Pittsburgh, PA • Private

Admissions rate

17%

SAT average

1,507

5. Columbia University in the City of New York

New York, NY • Private

Admissions rate

6%

SAT average

1,512

6. University of Notre Dame

Notre Dame, IN • Private

Admissions rate

18%

SAT average

1,502

7. University of Southern California

Los Angeles, CA • Private

Admissions rate

13%

SAT average

1,445

8. Cornell University

Ithaca, NY • Private

Admissions rate

11%

SAT average

1,471

9. University of Pennsylvania

Philadelphia, PA • Private

Admissions rate

8%

SAT average

1,492

10. University of California, Berkeley

Berkeley, CA • Private

Admissions rate

15%

SAT average

1,448

Top 10 easy-to-apply-to universities for wastewater design engineers

The easiest schools for wastewater design engineers to get into are Texas A&M; University - Kingsville, oklahoma wesleyan university, and pennsylvania state university - dubois.

Some schools are much easier to get into. If you want to start your career as a wastewater design engineer without much hassle, check out the list of schools where you will be accepted in no time. We compiled admissions rates, average SAT scores, average ACT scores, and average salary of students six years after graduation to uncover which were the easiest schools to get into for wastewater design engineers.

1. Texas A&M University - Kingsville

Kingsville, TX • Private

Admissions rate

89%

SAT average

1,035

2. Oklahoma Wesleyan University

Bartlesville, OK • Private

Admissions rate

68%

SAT average

964

3. Pennsylvania State University - DuBois

DuBois, PA • Private

Admissions rate

85%

SAT average

1,079

4. Oregon Institute of Technology

Klamath Falls, OR • Private

Admissions rate

96%

SAT average

1,139

5. Notre Dame de Namur University

Belmont, CA • Private

Admissions rate

82%

SAT average

983

6. University of the Incarnate Word

San Antonio, TX • Private

Admissions rate

88%

SAT average

1,044

7. Notre Dame College

Cleveland, OH • Private

Admissions rate

90%

SAT average

994

8. Holy Names University

Oakland, CA • Private

Admissions rate

70%

SAT average

849

9. LIM College

New York, NY • Private

Admissions rate

83%

SAT average

1,061

10. The University of Texas at El Paso

El Paso, TX • Private

Admissions rate

100%

SAT average

1,035

Average wastewater design engineer salary by education level

According to our data, wastewater design engineers with a Master's degree earn the highest average salary, at $95,683 annually. Wastewater design engineers with a Bachelor's degree earn an average annual salary of $93,357.
Wastewater design engineer education levelWastewater design engineer salary
Master's Degree$95,683
Bachelor's Degree$93,357

Wastewater design engineer education FAQs

Search for wastewater design engineer jobs

Updated January 8, 2025

Zippia Research Team
Zippia Team

Editorial Staff

The Zippia Research Team has spent countless hours reviewing resumes, job postings, and government data to determine what goes into getting a job in each phase of life. Professional writers and data scientists comprise the Zippia Research Team.

Browse architecture and engineering jobs